1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of folding opposite ends of a piece of tape which is to be sewn as a belt loop on a garment such as, for example, pants, jeans or the like by a belt loop sewing machine. The present invention also relates to an apparatus, for effecting this method.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,544 discloses a method of folding opposite ends of a piece T1 of tape, as shown in FIG. 15. This method is applied to a belt loop sewing machine M having a sewing section 35 and a tape feeder F juxtaposed therewith. The tape feeder F comprises two tape folding shafts 25a and 25b extending generally parallel to each other and a tape slackening rod 24 disposed therebetween and having a diameter of about 10 mm. Each of the tape folding shafts 25a and 25b has a center pin and a side pin both extending from a distal end thereof in parallel to each other.
According to this method, each of opposite ends of the piece T1 of tape is first inserted between the center pin and the side pin with the tape slackening rod 24 disposed beneath the piece T1 of tape. The opposite ends of the piece T1 of tape are subsequently folded 180.degree. downwardly by rotating the two tape folding shafts 25a and 25b in opposite directions. Then, the piece T1 of tape is supplied to and sewn on a waist part G of trousers placed on a sewing plate 36 of the sewing section 35, to thereby form a belt loop on the waist part G of the trousers.
As shown in FIG. 15, because the middle of the piece T1 of tape is lifted a predetermined height H by the tape slackening rod 24, the belt loop formed on the waist part G of the trousers is not tight but slack, thus facilitating insertion of a belt therein.
In this method, however, if the middle of the piece T1 of tape is lifted more than 11 mm, as shown by a double-dotted chain line in FIG. 15, there arises a problem that the opposite folded ends of the piece T1 of tape are occasionally removed from associated tape folding shafts 25a and 25b due to generation of gaps at folded portions K. Also, when the piece T1 of tape is supplied to the sewing plate 36 of the sewing section 35 so that the opposite folded ends of the piece T1 of tape may be positioned below associated holding members 37a and 37b with the middle of the piece T1 of tape lifted more than 11 mm, those portions P of the piece T1 of tape which are positioned above the folded ends impinge against the holding members 37a and 37b and, hence, the piece T1 of tape deviates from a desired position thereof, or at the worst, it is removed from the tape folding shafts 25a and 25b.
For this reason, the conventional method above cannot be used to form belt loops slackened by a height of more than 11 mm.